WinReducer 8 - v0.38.1 (alpha) - 2013.02.03

REQUIREMENTS :
- Windows 8 (x32 or x64) or Server 2012 (x32 or x64)
- All languages supported
- A genuine Windows 8 (x32 or x64) or Server 2012 (x32 or x64) ISO
- Works with Windows 8, Windows 8 Professional and Windows 8 Enterprise
- Works with Windows Server 2012 Standard (should work with Server 2012 Data Center)
- All external software are present in the zip package, no need to download them but feel free to have a look on the "Read Me.pdf"

INSTRUCTIONS :
- Not working with Windows 7 or any previous version like Windows XP
- Not working if you're using spaces in the path folder
- Follow instructions on screen : Button "Open", Button "Mount", wait, choose components, button "Apply", wait, then Button "Save" in Wim or in an ISO
- More important instructions are in the "Read Me.pdf" file provided in the zip package

DOWNLOAD :

==> Skydrive Download Link

CHANGELOG :

* BUGS RESOLVED
- In WCCF loader "Protect Windows Features" and "Clean boot.wim" are not loaded correctly
- "Accessories - Accessibility" breaks .net Framework 4
- "Services - Search" could cause an installation bug

* IMPROVED CLEANING
- "Accessories - Natural Languages"

Cheers.

NEW VERSION v0.38.1 HAS BEEN RELEASED !

Thanks, winterstorm, about to do a build

You're welcome my friend !

Thanks Winter,I installed version 0.38.1 this afternoon and it works fine.No bugs for the moment.

Excellent, thank you very much for your feedback...

used to cut natural language on a previous slimmed iso image and all is ok.

thanks

Hi good work i think after 0.35 . this 0.38.1 is best version and stable ... my iso win 8 enterprise RTM 2.45 gb i can now reduce it up to 1.58 gb approx. but still many thing to remove like hyper V, table pc , mobile pc etc .... so wanna want to see in next version soonnnnn

dave999 wrote:

Hi good work i think after 0.35 . this 0.38.1 is best version and stable ... my iso win 8 enterprise RTM 2.45 gb i can now reduce it up to 1.58 gb approx. but still many thing to remove like hyper V, table pc , mobile pc etc .... so wanna want to see in next version soonnnnn

hi! i used win 8 pro, and i reduce it and integrate all the updates released until 25 january, but my iso is 3.61 gb...what did you remove to have 1.58 gb?

winterstorm2050 wrote:

Excellent, thank you very much for your feedback...

hi!
thank you for your program, but i have two question:

1) how i can integrate net framework 3.5? i don't undertand...
2) i reduced my iso, i have installed my win 8 pro slim, but when i try to install framework 3.5 i get an error 0x80073712...

dave999 wrote:

Hi good work i think after 0.35 . this 0.38.1 is best version and stable

I have the same idea, so this version will be a good start to add new stuff and components...

leom81 wrote:

hi! i used win 8 pro, and i reduce it and integrate all the updates released until 25 january, but my iso is 3.61 gb...what did you remove to have 1.58 gb?

I think that his iso doesn't integrate updates. So, if you integrate windows updates your ISO will grow by much.

leom81 wrote:

1) how i can integrate net framework 3.5? i don't undertand...

Yes, that's right, you're not the 1st which tell me that so I will clarify this soon ...

leom81 wrote:

2) i reduced my iso, i have installed my win 8 pro slim, but when i try to install framework 3.5 i get an error 0x80073712...

Do you say that after installing windows ?

yes
i installed win 8 pro, and then i try to install a program that required framework 3.5, so it start to download framework 3.5, but when it finish it say me that error (sorry my english but i'm italian..)

No problem my friend .. I will have a look on this as soon as I can

EDIT : Could you please open a thread in the bug forum to open a ticket on it. thanks

Hi guys...i have a question for you all!!

i used 0.38.1, then integrated all windows updates manually with dism and installed windows

then if i do a disk cleanup, it finds some windows update to clean up, and at the end of the processing...the disk cleanup utility frees almost 1gb on the disk (i guess compressing some files).

Do you now if is possible to do this task before installing windows? thanks to all!!

bay12 wrote:

Hi guys...i have a question for you all!!

i used 0.38.1, then integrated all windows updates manually with dism and installed windows

then if i do a disk cleanup, it finds some windows update to clean up, and at the end of the processing...the disk cleanup utility frees almost 1gb on the disk (i guess compressing some files).

Do you now if is possible to do this task before installing windows? thanks to all!!

Hi!

I found this command on a forum:

dism.exe /image:"mount path" /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

But it won't work if there a pending update. You can check pending actions with this:

Dism /get-MountedWiminfo

I suspect it won't work if you integrating the updates with DISM :/ But I hope it will do it's job

Predator92 wrote:

bay12 wrote:

Hi guys...i have a question for you all!!

i used 0.38.1, then integrated all windows updates manually with dism and installed windows

then if i do a disk cleanup, it finds some windows update to clean up, and at the end of the processing...the disk cleanup utility frees almost 1gb on the disk (i guess compressing some files).

Do you now if is possible to do this task before installing windows? thanks to all!!

Hi!

I found this command on a forum:

dism.exe /image:"mount path" /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

But it won't work if there a pending update. You can check pending actions with this:

Dism /get-MountedWiminfo

I suspect it won't work if you integrating the updates with DISM :/ But I hope it will do it's job

hi and thanks for the reply! yes you are right! also integrating .net 3.5 put the package in pending status

i've heard of a procedure to install win8 and then capture the image...but i never saw a real example on how to do it!

bay12 wrote:

Predator92 wrote:

bay12 wrote:

Hi guys...i have a question for you all!!

i used 0.38.1, then integrated all windows updates manually with dism and installed windows

then if i do a disk cleanup, it finds some windows update to clean up, and at the end of the processing...the disk cleanup utility frees almost 1gb on the disk (i guess compressing some files).

Do you now if is possible to do this task before installing windows? thanks to all!!

Hi!

I found this command on a forum:

dism.exe /image:"mount path" /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

But it won't work if there a pending update. You can check pending actions with this:

Dism /get-MountedWiminfo

I suspect it won't work if you integrating the updates with DISM :/ But I hope it will do it's job

hi and thanks for the reply! yes you are right! also integrating .net 3.5 put the package in pending status

i've heard of a procedure to install win8 and then capture the image...but i never saw a real example on how to do it!

It's like the "Lite a Sysprep image of a Windows 7 install on a VHD" tutorial saying in this forum for Windows 7. But for Windows 8 you have to use DISM instead of ImageX. I created a workable Windows 8 install.wim, which I've updated in a VirtualBox machine (DirectX, .NET 3.5, all updates, etc), sysprep for generalize, attach the VHD (in case of VDI I using WinMount, to mount) and using DISM, to capture it. I can't recall where I found the examples for this, but I'm sure if you search for it, you will find something

Predator92 wrote:

But for Windows 8 you have to use DISM instead of ImageX. I created a workable Windows 8 install.wim, which I've updated in a VirtualBox machine (DirectX, .NET 3.5, all updates, etc), sysprep for generalize, attach the VHD (in case of VDI I using WinMount, to mount) and using DISM, to capture it. I can't recall where I found the examples for this, but I'm sure if you search for it, you will find something

Actually, in WADK tools you still use imagex to capture. Plus, when reading the following article [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] it would appear the capture-image option in DISM does not apply to VHD's.

/capture-image : This command-line option does not apply to virtual hard disk (VHD) files.

Predator92 wrote:

bay12 wrote:

Predator92 wrote:

bay12 wrote:

Hi guys...i have a question for you all!!

i used 0.38.1, then integrated all windows updates manually with dism and installed windows

then if i do a disk cleanup, it finds some windows update to clean up, and at the end of the processing...the disk cleanup utility frees almost 1gb on the disk (i guess compressing some files).

Do you now if is possible to do this task before installing windows? thanks to all!!

Hi!

I found this command on a forum:

dism.exe /image:"mount path" /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup

But it won't work if there a pending update. You can check pending actions with this:

Dism /get-MountedWiminfo

I suspect it won't work if you integrating the updates with DISM :/ But I hope it will do it's job

hi and thanks for the reply! yes you are right! also integrating .net 3.5 put the package in pending status

i've heard of a procedure to install win8 and then capture the image...but i never saw a real example on how to do it!

It's like the "Lite a Sysprep image of a Windows 7 install on a VHD" tutorial saying in this forum for Windows 7. But for Windows 8 you have to use DISM instead of ImageX. I created a workable Windows 8 install.wim, which I've updated in a VirtualBox machine (DirectX, .NET 3.5, all updates, etc), sysprep for generalize, attach the VHD (in case of VDI I using WinMount, to mount) and using DISM, to capture it. I can't recall where I found the examples for this, but I'm sure if you search for it, you will find something

thanks! i know the procedure it's like what you explained...but i never done before and i'm looking for a step by step article!

parapher wrote:

Predator92 wrote:

But for Windows 8 you have to use DISM instead of ImageX. I created a workable Windows 8 install.wim, which I've updated in a VirtualBox machine (DirectX, .NET 3.5, all updates, etc), sysprep for generalize, attach the VHD (in case of VDI I using WinMount, to mount) and using DISM, to capture it. I can't recall where I found the examples for this, but I'm sure if you search for it, you will find something

Actually, in WADK tools you still use imagex to capture. Plus, when reading the following article [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] it would appear the capture-image option in DISM does not apply to VHD's.

/capture-image : This command-line option does not apply to virtual hard disk (VHD) files.

As far as I know ImageX deprecated in WADK and DISM takes the capturing, mounting, etc. I don't use WADK, because it's too big for me to download. I tried to use GImageX on a Win8 partition, but it showed a lot ignored file, and stopped it. I captured a WIM file with DISM in the virtual machine, and installed it, it worked flawlessly. But after that I managed to capture a mounted VDI file, done it succesfully, mounting working. But I haven't tried that WIM file to install yet. I think it will working too.

Predator92 wrote:

As far as I know ImageX deprecated in WADK and DISM takes the capturing, mounting, etc. I don't use WADK, because it's too big for me to download. I tried to use GImageX on a Win8 partition, but it showed a lot ignored file, and stopped it. I captured a WIM file with DISM in the virtual machine, and installed it, it worked flawlessly. But after that I managed to capture a mounted VDI file, done it succesfully, mounting working. But I haven't tried that WIM file to install yet. I think it will working too.

No, all my recent images have been captured with imagex from the WADK tools. Plus, DISM does not appear to support the /capture-image commands where it comes to VHD's. For .wim's, yes, it does support capture. As far as GimageX goes, I never use it. By the way, GimageX only has the WAIK tools included, right? Their website states WAIK tools, so I think there is no WADK version yet.

You said you "tried to use GImageX on a Win8 partition" -- do you mean a live partition, or?

Hint: when you download the WADK installer (which is small) you can select and download only the actually deployment tools files (such as DISM, imagex, etc.) which is only around 30mb. So you don't have to download and install everything. Personally, I downloaded only the tools and then saved them in a folder to use directly via .bat scripts I wrote to perform certain actions. So now I use the WADK tools on a fresh install without installing them, I just put the folder with the WADK files somewhere that matches the location given in my scripts, and it works. For example, this one is for Server 2012 Standard, and is the one I've been using to capture a VHD (in this case when I mount it it's on drive L:\ so hence the "l") :

parapher wrote:

No, all my recent images have been captured with imagex from the WADK tools. Plus, DISM does not appear to support the /capture-image commands where it comes to VHD's. For .wim's, yes, it does support capture. As far as GimageX goes, I never use it. By the way, GimageX only has the WAIK tools included, right? Their website states WAIK tools, so I think there is no WADK version yet.

You said you "tried to use GImageX on a Win8 partition" -- do you mean a live partition, or?

Hint: when you download the WADK installer (which is small) you can select and download only the actually deployment tools files (such as DISM, imagex, etc.) which is only around 30mb. So you don't have to download and install everything. Personally, I downloaded only the tools and then saved them in a folder to use directly via .bat scripts I wrote to perform certain actions. So now I use the WADK tools on a fresh install without installing them, I just put the folder with the WADK files somewhere that matches the location given in my scripts, and it works. For example, this one is for Server 2012 Standard, and is the one I've been using to capture a VHD (in this case when I mount it it's on drive L:\ so hence the "l") :

Code:

"C:\WADK\Deployment Tools\amd64\DISM\imagex.exe" /compress maximum /flags "ServerStandard" /capture l: c:\install.wim "Windows Server 2012 SERVERSTANDARD"

I don't know if WAIK tools include GImageX, but I haven't seen a version for WADK yet.

I've tried to use it at the very first time to capture a Windows 8 partition which I prepared and generalized with sysprep, so it wasn't a live partition. It was in a VirtualBox's VDI file.

I didn't know that ImageX still has this feature. Most of the articles writes about DISM new features. Thanks for the hint, I can download that size at home on my mobile internet. I tried to download the installers at my workplace, but the size of those is too big and the downloader hasn't got a bandwidth limiter...

Gimagex is not from Microsoft, it is merely a graphical interface for the features of imagex (http://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit-tools/gimagex/). Imagex is included in the WAIK tools, and also the WADK tools for Win8/Server. So imagex is the actual tool you would use to capture, and you can use it directly via commands, or you can use Gimagex if you prefer a graphical user interface. But remember that Gimagex still has the WAIK version of imagex, not the WADK (newer) version. But I don't think that matters because WAIK still works for Win8 as well in my tests.

Best thing is, when you create the VM, to create it as a VHD (VirtualBox has this option). If you create it as VDI (VirtualBox native format) you would have to convert it to VHD first to be able to capture it. So instead use VHD, so that when you sysprep an install in a VM, you can then directly mount the resulting VHD file via Disk Management (Action->Attach VHD). It will mount and become a drive letter that you can then capture via imagex or Gimagex.

I didn't know that ImageX still has this feature. Most of the articles writes about DISM new features.

Yes, they just expanded the features of DISM, but imagex remains. To capture VHD's you would still use imagex or gimagex.

A side note: as I mentioned earlier somewhere on the forum, using the WADK tools -- and the newer DISM and imagex -- works fine, but there is something different about the way the .wim files are made, when compared to how the WAIK tools did. For example, when you open a .wim file saved by the WADK tools with 7-Zip v9.20 it will not work. When saved with WAIK tools you can open .wim files without a problem. Also, when I tried using vLite on .wim files saved by WADK it also failed. I found a post by the creator of 7-Zip that mentions something is off with the reference count in the new image files by Microsoft (and evidently the ones produced by WADK). So he made 7-Zip 9.30 (alpha) to allow 7-Zip to open the .wim files, but give an error message to inform you. Just remember that when you want to use vLite or otherwise have problems with .wim files, it may be due to WADK and the way it produces .wim's. The images work fine for installs, it's just that some programs like 7-Zip and vLite have problems with them. I think WinReducer uses WADK internally because I encountered the vLite problem with .wim's as saved by WinReducer. Unless WinReducer uses the new DISM commands in any way, it may be best just to use WAIK internally, but that's just a thought.

EDIT: I have not found the use of vLite to have any advantages over WinReducer -- in fact, I recommend WinReducer because vLite is outdated and it can break things for Win8 (it broke some things for me when removing Tablet PC on Win Server). I only used vLite on some images to reduce the WinSxS folder, which still seems to work well. I'm not sure if Winterstorm is interested in WinSxS reduction scripts to the extent that vLite can. WinSxS reduction is controversial, but then again so is any slimming tool considered controversial.

Maybe this could be done in other way ...

Let's clear some things:

- I knew that GImagex is not Microsoft's and it just a GUI complementation of Imagex, also that's using the WAIK version.
- I can mount the VDI file too with a program (virtual hard disk drive, to be clear), so converting to a VHD file for me is pointless. Capture from it was successful, but - as I said - I'm not tried it to install yet. Not even sure I have that WIM file, so I have to capture again another time. When I tried the VHD file format in Virtualbox (when it started to support that) somehow it was much slower, than VDI. I haven't tried it nowadays, so I will give a shot to VHD again.
- I knew that too when I create a WIM file with DISM, I can't open with 7-Zip (9.22), nor WinMount. But it would be good, if I could open the new WIM files. I need for quickly checking Windows folder sizes after using WinReducer for an example.

Just to really clear some things up:

- You said "I don't know if WAIK tools include GImageX" and then after I clarify that you say "I knew that GImagex is not Microsoft's" -- see the confusion?
- I was not talking about converting to a VHD, I was talking about making the VM a VHD from the beginning so no external programs are necessary, only Disk Management that comes with Windows.

I'm just trying to share the more basic, built-in methods MS provided for exactly these things, which non IT people often don't even know about. I'm not trying to edit or correct you. I think this is more clear.

winterstorm2050 wrote:

Maybe this could be done in other way ...

I found that reducing WinSxS folder via vLite on a fully updates Win8 x64 image resulted in the image being 1.2gb smaller (meaning, the .wim and/or .iso). So that is a huge reduction. On a non-updated image the reduction is far less (maybe 300 to 400mb). However, I'm not sure if vLite's methods are getting to be outdated for Win8 and if it could be done better. So I'm curious if you think it is worth messing with WinSxS at all, or if there are some secure ways to do this.

parapher wrote:

Just to really clear some things up:

- You said "I don't know if WAIK tools include GImageX" and then after I clarify that you say "I knew that GImagex is not Microsoft's" -- see the confusion?
- I was not talking about converting to a VHD, I was talking about making the VM a VHD from the beginning so no external programs are necessary, only Disk Management that comes with Windows.

I'm just trying to share the more basic, built-in methods MS provided for exactly these things, which non IT people often don't even know about. I'm not trying to edit or correct you. I think this is more clear.

Yeah, because I didn't use WAIK anytime, but I saw GImageX is on the autoitscript's website, so I suggested it's not Microsoft's. But I haven't continued the thinking that if it isn't Microsoft's product, than the WAIK shouldn't include that, just ImageX.

I'm sorry for misunderstanding you. My english language knowledge is not the best. I've tried the VHD format a few days ago, install a Windows 8 on it, and I haven't seen a low performance that I experienced at the first time. Thanks for the suggestion

I'm glad we finally cleared these things.

Here is my experience with winreducer.
Is a great software, nice job. However here are some issues that you might consider and maybe fix or include in documentation. I modified windows 8 pro

1. Seems like removing ie10 or anything will screw the 3.5 framework install with error 0x80073712. It can be easily fixed with:
step1: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth step2: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth ( after installation )
2. if you remove anything related to microsoft store and java, immersive cp and visual c++ will brake "change pc settings"
3. if you remove windows recovery environment bitlocker won't work anymore.
4. if you remove the metroui login backrounds and it's images when you change color in pc settings the change will be ignored. you wil get stuck with that purple blue background.

cheers

Hi websun,

Thanks for your feedback, and I added your points 3 and 4 in WinReducer tips. Thanks.